DAY 85, 86, 87 & 88 - Snow and Freezing Cold and Dragon Pony

Monday, "day 85," it did snow all day until the early afternoon, and then it just stayed cold and wet. When I would go out to check on and visit Possum in the paddock, he would be standing out in the snow, packed balls of snow and ice sticking to the bottom of his hooves. Very uncomfortable to see, but he really doesn't care! He spent the whole day and night in the paddock, and only later in the day, towards feeding time, did I tie him up in his stall and brush the snow and water off his wooly back and pick the ice balls out of his hooves. He eventually dried off, his body heat is like a natural blow dryer.

Tuesday, "day 86," it was still bitterly cold, and there was a lovely biting wind, too. I cleaned his paddock in the morning and left him with much hay, then cleaned up and went down town to market. Around two, I went out to the paddock to put on his halter and see if we could go for a ride or something.. but he wanted nothing to do with me. He pinned his ears flat back and walked away, even trotting away! Had it not been for the giant packs of icy snow on the bottoms of his front hooves, I would have "run him around" in the paddock (that always works!), but I did not want to risk anything.. seeing how his front joints were dangerously turning in all different angles! So.. I just walked away and went back inside. After half an hour, he was like a different pony. I approached him in the paddock, his ears perked forward, and I led him up to the stall.

The first thing I did was pick out his hooves! That was not easy! The ice gets wedged in there. Finally, I got the ice dislodged, and then set to grooming him. The wind was still high, so his eyeballs were bulging and his neck was craning a lot during our grooming time. I just kept after him, though. I had decided to tack up and lead him up the road where the snow and ice had melted, and I'd carry a hoof pick in my pocket, just in case.

Tacked up and ready to ride, I led him out of the stall and onto the driveway. He started out good... but by the time we got to the Dodge home, and he spied Big Mack grazing loose in their back yard.. and the dog was barking .. and the flag was flapping in the wind... and Donna was walking around doing barn chores...  oh and , and and ...

Spinning and snorting around, Possum the sweet camp pony had turned into a fire breathing dragon! I hand walked him over towards the barn so I could speak with Donna for a few minutes.. and I could hardly keep the pony down on all fours! Spinning around and around, yanking on his little bit.. Oh, I felt bad about that!

With the wind still blowing but the sun out, I decided to keep walking him down the road towards Lenny's. We walked around behind the house and he did another big spin / bolt there. I KNEW I should have lunged him! And I KNEW I was CRAZY for what I was about to do.. but I had him down this far, and I did not have a lunge line with me, and I knew that he would calm down once he just got some work.. However, I do not condone this foolish act that I next did.

I led him to the little detached screened in porch, tightened up his girth, pulled down the stirrups and mounted. He stood still... for three seconds. I could feel the hump in his back.. tense much? I settled in and walked him down the hill. He did a head wiggle or two, but kept his composure. I marched him down, keeping the reins tight, and turning him often. We kept walking walking walking, serpentine and circle, halt and walk, down the sloping hill. Finally, we got to a point where I felt it was safe to trot. He hopped right into it.. and back up the hill we trotted, in a serpentine fashion.. up, and circling. His head was high, his step was mighty! When would he tire? I wondered. Usually, I'd have to kick him to keep him going up a hill like this, but not today!

He started asking me for more reins.. I gave him some. We went slightly down grade a bit, and he tried to "buck." That's the head wiggle and hop I've mentioned, but STILL! I kicked him forward and took back some of the reins.  Slowly, he began to tire a little. At the top of the hill, where it is sort of flat, I kept him trotting in circles.. Finally, we slowed to a walk, and he blew some snorts. I gave him his head with the reins.

We walked over to another part of the field.. down a steep hill. My intention was to canter up. We got to the bottom, turned for uphill. I asked for the canter. He started respectable, but halfway up, he started to flatten out and race like a wild Arabian in the desert. Uh oh, I thought for a second. I took back his head with the reins, we got towards the top and I turned his head sharp to the right. He slowed to a trot, head high, and snorting.

Back on the road, we walked briskly back towards the Dodge farm.. Possum was breathing hard, but I could tell his brain was finally back from Dragon Land. By the time we walked by the Dodge home, he was walking on a loose rein like a little cow pony. I hopped off at the top of my driveway, and led him back to the barn, the lights turned on by Don, as the winter darkness fell at 4:30.

I dodged a bullet that day, yes indeed. No photos from that ride!

The next day, Wednesday, the wind was gone, though it was still in the 20's in the morning. Possum was happy to get his little ration with pellets and his medications, which I still stand and hold the bucket to make sure he gets the meds. He doesn't seem to mind that.

After taking the morning to get the fire going in the wood stove, a much needed yoga routine and a quick run downtown to market, I got out to the paddock around 1:30 to pick up the frozen poops and clean and bank the stall. Then, I put on his halter, and he was very agreeable as I led him up to the stall to groom and tack up. I have been bringing all of the tack inside to the kitchen to keep out of the cold, and before I bring the bridle out, I put on his breastplate and saddle first, then I put on my old full-length chaps and helmet. Then I walk into the house, grab the bridle, and so by the time I put it on him, the steel bit is still warm from being inside. He opened his mouth and easily took the bit and bridle.

I led him out of the stall through the barn, then made him stand by the doorway, where I mounted him from there - not the best place, as many times I jab him a little with my toe.. but I didn't want to take him into the paddock, where there is still some snow, and risk getting ice balls in his hooves. We walked up the driveway, and took a right up the road. At the Dodge home, we took a right into the field and walked right by Big Mack, who was hanging out by his shed. The sun was out, the wind had died, and Pony was calm and happy. There was still some snow in the field, but it not enough for him to slip or work too much harder. We picked up a trot and stayed at the trot for a while - serpentine and circles, halt, walk, trot. Small trot, normal trot, big trot, normal trot, halt. Walk, trot, halt. He was being very good.

I steered him back down towards the bottom of the field and asked for a canter. He wanted to "buck," but it wasn't in him too hard, and I kicked him forward and we cantered for a short while, then back to the trot and walk. Back down a ways, then picked up the canter in the other direction, again, just for about ten strides or so. For fun, I attempted to have him do a flying lead change.. Ha! No dice. Something to work on next spring. Then we halted, and I took a photo in the sunlight, as Big Mack had come up to the fence line to watch us ride. Then, I allowed Possum to walk towards the fence, and we visited with Big Mack for a while, who was very happy to see us.

Visiting with Big Mack Wednesday afternoon.

Then, we walked back to the road, and walked down towards Lenny's. We went took a right into the field across from his house and walked around there for a while, and even picked up a trot a couple of times. What a different pony today! We went back to the road and walked all the way home, his head hanging low like a puppy. Instead of going in our driveway, we kept walking and went down the secondary driveway. I allowed him to walk towards the stone wall so he could check his domain of Dad's house, then we walked deep into our back yard and all the way back up around the house to the front. After checking out his paddock from the outside, we went back to the barn.

I gave him a good rub down, though he wasn't sweaty, checked his hooves again, and called it a day. I was freezing!

Thursday, "day 88," another frigid morning. It was walk day with Donna, and she left me a message saying she was going to bring Big Mack along. So, I caught Possum at 10 of 10, and he was cool with all that. I brushed him off lightly and checked his hooves and brushed the shavings out of his tail. I did decide to put the chain over his nose, just in case he was feeling fresh. He respected that.

Donna was running a little behind, so we walked up to her place to meet up with them. She was just catching Mack in the paddock, and I saw she had blanketed him the night before. Made sense to me. He stayed out and it was windy and raw. She took off his blanket, and off we went. The boys were much better this week. Possum, especially, was back in camp pony mode.. every once in a while, he tries to nip me, like I'm another pony walking along the road. Nice! Not. I know it's just horse stuff, though.

Around three, after another quick run down town, I went out to the paddock and picked up the frozen poop piles and banked up his stall. It was easy to catch him, and I led him into the stall. He was pretty clean and fluffy, so I just gave him a quick run over with the body brush. Then, tack up, and off we went. I was able to mount up from the paddock as the snow is fairly low now.

Again, we went right, as the road down hill is still a bit sketchy with ice patches, and we walked past the Dodge farm and Big Mack in his paddock, and down to Lenny's. We went into the field behind the house and walked and trotted around there for a while. It was cold! Possum was telling me he was "tired," by breathing hard and sulking again at the little trots up hill. He says to me, "Hey, don't you know I'm sick? I've got the Lyme's Disease! Cut me some slack here, sister!" Good try, buddy!

At one point in the field, I decided it was a good time to take our daily photo. After I put my phone back in my pocket, and was putting my second glove back on, something spooked him from behind, and he skipped ahead with a jump. No harm, though. I was able to pull him up quickly, though my heart did jump into my throat for a second. I circled him around a couple of times and got his brain back into my hands, so to speak. I have learned to always be prepared for anything with this horse. Just when you think you can totally relax.. something spooks him and he goes into survival mode. I guess there isn't one horse on the planet that doesn't do this, though. That's why a good horse person always knows to keep alert at all times.

The view on Thursday (plus, a mistake photo, but this is my view)

We left that field and crossed the road to the other field, and walked and trotted to the top of that, staying on the edge. We stopped a couple of times to soak in the view and, phew, catch our breath - then we got back to the road, and picked up a short trot towards Mack's paddock area. We went over to visit with him, then turned for home. We walked past our driveway and around behind the house again, just for good fun.

Back in the stall, I took off his tack and threw the little blue cooler over his back for a few minutes, then checked his hooves. There was a small amount of ice impacted in his front hoof. Oops. Sorry, buddy. He was okay, though.

Today is Friday, it is frigid cold again. Plus, our pal The Wind is back. Not sure if I'm going to ride today or not. Warmer temps coming next week, they say. Yeah!!